How would you grade John Tavares 7-year Contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

[Sky04]

Imo after signing Tavares they should have traded Traded Nylander and used those assets to bring in a playoff big boy hockey winger. Even with that mistake and the resulting playoff losses resulting, Tavares is still an A.

Why tf would they trade Nylander, their best playoff performer by a mile when they had a great 2C already in Kadri - the mistake was signing Tavares period.

Trade Nylander? God that's stupid.

 

[Sky04]

Regular seasons: B+

Playoffs: D- (the OT clincher against Tampa saves it from being an F)

Combine those it’s somewhere in the C range. He was brought in to be the veteran core guy, and help unlock the younger core guys in the playoffs. He ended up being the worst one of the core 4 in the playoffs.

At least he lead by example and showed the kids how not to perform in the playoffs.

 

[CashMash]

If we overlook team needs, I think it's been a good deal. When taking into account that they could have had a more standard second-line center and acquired a D-man, I think it looks worse.

C+

 

[Toby91ca]

You guys are nuts. His market value at the time was over $13m AAV. That's what both San Jose and the Islanders offered him.

I’m not sure what SJ or NYI offered him, whatever is reported may not be accurate, either way, I’ll say this, the contract he signed with the Leafs made him the 2nd highest cap hit in the NHL behind McDavid who was at $12.5M

 

[Bobby Ryan Getzlaf]

B+ he was productive the entirety of the contract which is always the worry with these deals. He scored 50, delivered value.

The downside is how it might have handcuffed their team building, and the lack of playoff success as a group. But in a vacuum I think it turned out quite well.

Scored 50 what?

 

[Bobby Ryan Getzlaf]

F

Sorry, Johnny, but your signing f***ed up the entire Leafs rebuild. Matthews and Marner had someone to point to and say “hey, I’m better than him, pay me more”.

He performed well during the contract, cost the Leafs a chance to build a Cup team.

Tavares didn’t f anything up. That was all Dubas.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Scored 50 what?

Are you surprised he's being credit for scoring more than he did? His entire career has been this way where people talk about him like he's a perennial 100 point threat when the guy's never even touched 90 points.

People in this thread are literally arguing he's worth his salary, ignoring the fact he's paid like a top 5 (top 2 when he first signed) forward in hockey but consistently produced closer to the 20-range for the majority of his time with the Leafs.

I drives me bonkers how so much of the hockey world puts this guy on a pedestal when all he's done his entire career is produce LESS than the player he's made out to be.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

B

 

[um]

BView attachment 1042705

You're missing some GPs

 

[Greatzsky 99]

You're missing some GPs

Playoff games?

 

[um]

Playoff games?

you got it!

 

[Craig Button]

anyone saying anything but an F is out to lunch just a total failure

 

[WarriorofTime]

The B- part is correct.

The thing is that if one actually compares his production to that of other UFA contracts the second part isn't true.

UFA contracts by their very nature as almost always overpayment and JT delivered, lot's of people, not directed at you but in general, aren't looking at the contract in the context that it was in , that of an UFA signing with zero assets going back.

I think you underestimate how many players in this timeframe were on RFA Contracts that rolled into buying off UFA years and then also extended with UFA contracts.

Look at Barkov: $5.9 millon from 2018-19 through 2021-22 and into $10 million 2022-23 through 2024-25 (and so on).

12th in points those years (compared to 25th for Tavares). Better 2-way play, more playoff team success.

 

[Voight]

D. He performed his role with the contract, so this prevents it from being an F. The issue though was another high end forward was superfluous for the Leafs because of their 3 young forwards, and Kadri was a viable 2C at the time (as he'd also be on the 2022 Avs). The Leafs forwards needed depth, and if going after high end talent, the blue line was the place to do that. Tavares was an unneeded luxury that hampered them from upgrading major holes in their roster, and in that context I give this signing a D.

In the last seven years tho, there really haven't been any elite defensemen traded or available in free agency.

Karlsson was traded to the Sharks but I highly doubt Ottawa would've traded him to their biggest rival, especially with Melnyk still calling the shots.

Pietrangelo is the only elite defensemen to reach free agency, maybe he would've been OK with going home but who knows.

Dougie Hamilton is the only other one from memory that could've been had. Again, no guarantee there.

 

[wetcoast]

I think you underestimate how many players in this timeframe were on RFA Contracts that rolled into buying off UFA years and then also extended with UFA contracts.

Look at Barkov: $5.9 millon from 2018-19 through 2021-22 and into $10 million 2022-23 through 2024-25 (and so on).

12th in points those years (compared to 25th for Tavares). Better 2-way play, more playoff team success.

Actually I'm not even factoring in RFA contracts as UFA contracts are a different animal as they only require a monetary asset to acquire.

RFA contracts already have built in the draft cost.

I think that in the UFA landscape of contracts, where a team gives up zero assets to sign a UFA is what should be compared here.

Did the Leaf's do poorly in the playoff over that time sure. But that's an entirely different discussion.

Was the Signing of JT a failing grade?

Heck no and people arguing that are frankly out to lunch IMO.

Compare apples to apples , oranges to ranges and stop with the narratives and speculations of "supposed" other paths that live in only alternative universes.

Such poor player evaluation taking place in this thread frankly.

 

[La Bamba]

Tavares as a player was good. His contract and the expectations it set for the 'Core 4' destroyed them. Had they not signed Tavares, I'm certain they would have a Cup right now.

The Leafs after the 2016/17 season, were one of the best positioned teams in terms of talent, youth, cap space I've ever seen-even to this day. All of it got washed away by Dubas and pyjama boy.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Actually I'm not even factoring in RFA contracts as UFA contracts are a different animal as they only require a monetary asset to acquire.

RFA contracts already have built in the draft cost.

Barkov has been in UFA years for 5/7 last seven years, since 2020-21. Florida bought two UFA years by giving him 6 years following his ELC (all RFA years plus two UFA years).

I think that in the UFA landscape of contracts, where a team gives up zero assets to sign a UFA is what should be compared here.

The "changing teams UFA contract" you're referring to comes at the cost of a premium cap. That is not zero assets. This is often reserved for non-star players for this reason.

Did the Leaf's do poorly in the playoff over that time sure. But that's an entirely different discussion.

Well it's related in many ways....

Was the Signing of JT a failing grade?

I voted C personally.

Heck no and people arguing that are frankly out to lunch IMO.

I agree "F" is too harsh.

Compare apples to apples , oranges to ranges and stop with the narratives and speculations of "supposed" other paths that live in only alternative universes.

The world of change teams mega-tier UFA contracts is pretty limited as it doesn't happen too often. It often results like in Tavares with one of highest cap hits in the league. Question is, was such a contract worth it in this instance? I suppose can compare against that and see how it stacks up. But I think that's a separate question than just grading the contract which requires contextualizing in whole league of contracts out there since that's the universe of teams competing with for Cup.

Such poor player evaluation taking place in this thread frankly.

Less about evaluation of player and more about contract and its context.

 

[PROUD PAPA]

That went about as well as anyone could’ve hoped for when signing an aging slow of foot forward at a time when speed was all the rage. The teams playoff failures are not on Tavares, rather it has to be shared by management, coaching and the bulk of the players collectively.